Tuesday, March 31, 2009

VIN CUIT FROM SWITZERLAND

Today, I'm going to talk about a typical Vaud and Fribourg (two cantons situated in the Western part of Switzerland/Romandy) speciality that is named "Vin Cuit" and "Raisinée", but is also known under the name of "Cougnarde", "Coignarde" or "Poiré"...Although it's name "Vin Cuit" (meaning "cooked wine") is misleading, this 100% natural, deliciously sweet and sour, viscous, thick, sticky, molasses-like, syrupy substance is made from the juice of pressed pears (and sometimes apples) which is then cooked and stirred for around 30 hours over a wood fire, in a big copper cauldron.

The preparation is often made between friends, neighbors, or even at the time of certain harvest festivals in certain villages. In order to obtain 7 liters of "Vin Cuit", 70 liters of pear/apple juice, which are extracted from a hundred of kilos fruits, are needed.After having cooked the juice for several hours and after having let it cool, one obtains a concentrate which can be preserved for a very a long time, out of the bottle, without special precautions as it cannot ferment anymore.

In the past, making "Vin Cuit" was a good way to not throw away perishable fruits. This speciality was also employed as replacement for sugar, and was also administred to weak people because it was believed to act as a fortifier.

This reduction is used in several recipes, one of them being the delicious "Gâteau A La Raisinée" which is a tart consisting of a pie crust (shortcrust pastry) filled with a mixture of "Vin Cuit", thick cream and eggs (and cornstarch, depending on the recipes). Another well-known Gruyère speciality which utilizes "Vin Cuit" is "Moutarde De Bénichon" and is also made with candied sugar, spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cloves and mustard powder. It is generally eaten together with "Cuchaule" brioche (see recipe). "Vin Cuit" is delicious when used in desserts or savory dishes such as cakes, yogurts, müesli/granola, parfaits, meat sauces, etc... It’s unique taste makes it the ideal ally when cooking or baking.

Dear Rosa, it seems to be really delicious ! I did not know it before reading your post. I would like to used it in order to prepare a cake which would be very tasty ! Many thanks to you for sharing this product !

me too, I have never seen this before but it must be one of those indispensable secret ingredients that cannot be left out of the dish. I hope to see one of these interesting sounding pastries on your blog soon!

We have something similar in the Netherlands made from apples and/or pears (and even combined with other fruit like banana or dates). I don't think anybody makes it at home as it is readily available in the supermarket ;)Will check out the recipes...

Hello,do you think there's any place where you can buy vin cuit from, outside Fribourg, in the english speaking world?Would love to havse some, same like Cuchaule and Moutarde de Benichon.Cravings that just don't come handy when you're stuck on the British Isles.